Will stand by citizens unfairly omitted in SIR irrespective of party: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said she would continue to oppose the alleged omission of genuine voters from the electoral rolls during the ongoing SIR (Special Intensive Revision), asserting that she would stand by affected citizens “irrespective of party colours”.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating multiple development projects in her Bhawanipore constituency, Banerjee alleged that there was a “conspiracy” to remove over 80 lakh names from the voter list on grounds of logical discrepancies.

Noting that 58 lakh names were omitted after the first phase of the revision exercise, she said, “By the name of logical discrepancies, at least 20 lakh more genuine voters were surreptitiously left out by February 14.” She further alleged that an additional two lakh voters could be excluded before the final electoral rolls are published.

Banerjee said she had moved the Supreme Court over the Election Commission’s actions and claimed the poll panel continued its “diabolical gameplan” by issuing fresh directions.

“I want justice. I don't want to see whether those citizens left out of the rolls are (voters of) the TMC, Congress, CPI(M) or the BJP. I am against the deletion of anyone's name... It does not matter to me whether the victims are Hindus or Muslims, or members of any other community. I will pray for them, stand by them and fight for them. I want to say live and let live,” she said.

Highlighting the cosmopolitan character of Bhawanipore, the chief minister said people from diverse communities live together peacefully.

“I understand Gujarati, Assamese, Odiya etc. Some words are different, but the warmth, love and bonding are the same; the spirit is the same. I also relish roti, chapati, litti from Bihar, dhokla from Gujarat and other delicacies. In Bengal, we respect all languages, religions, customs, culture and food habits,” she said.

Banerjee urged people to celebrate festivals such as Ramzan, Holi, Doljatra and Baisakhi together. “I will pray standing here mouthing the word ‘Ahimsa’ (non-violence) spoken by Gandhiji; I will pray for the truth,” she said.

During the programme, she inaugurated and laid foundation stones for several projects, including the Jain Manastambha, the Sant Kutia Gurdwara Gate, a 100-bed mother and child hub at Furfura Sharif, a rural hospital in Gosaba in the Sunderbans, refugee colony developments in south Kolkata and new fire brigade stations.

The Election Commission has not publicly responded to Banerjee’s allegations.